Mail catching and delivering device.



T. OFFICE? MoN'rRAvILL D. crnnuNG-s, or coLUMBUs, omo.

MAIL CATCHING AND DELIVERING DEVICE.

No.,895,004. n i --pecication of Letters latent.

appresso mea December 4, 1907. serial No. 494,992.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LIONTRAVILL D. CUmuNGs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail Catching and Delivering Devices, of

which the following is a specification.

, shaft and having one end enga The object of this invention is to provide improved mail catching and delivering'devices and the present invention is an improvement in part upon the device shown in myLetters Patent dated J anuarySl, 1899, and numbered 618,397.

The invention consists in the details of construction hereinafter described .and

vpointed out in the appended claims, the

mvention not being confined to the particular embodiment of it so described, or as delineated in the vaccompanying drawm s.

In said drawings--Figure 1 shows in e evation the door-way of a railway car e uipped with my invention, the position o the delivering parts being that obtaining after a delivery of themail. sacks; Fig. 2 is ,a similar view showing the delivery parts set for discharging the sacks and the mail catching device turned into a nearly horizontal plane and therefore readyrfor prompt operation of the delivering device; Fig. 3 is 'a sectional view on the line x- Fig 2, looking toward the left, for the purpose of showing details of construction of the delivering device; Fig. 4 is a view showing the construction of the base of the catching device; Fig. '5 is a central sectional view on the line y.-y Fig. 4 but on a larger scale; Fi 6 is a section on the line z-z Fig. 5.

Iieferring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3v inclusive, the character 7 designates the platform of the delivering device. This platform is secured to a shaft 8 that has at its ends mitergears 8a and 8b, the shaft itself-being journaled in eye-bearings 9 and 91secured to the car slightly below the doors 10 designates a coil spring encircling the ving the car and the other end pressing ou the platform so as normally to .hold the latter turned down as seen in Fig. 1. The latform'is flanked by vertically-standing si es or wings as seen at '11' and 12. As these wings or sides and their operating parts are symmetrical duplicates of each other, a description of vone will suffice vfor both.v 'Ihe side or j Patented aug. 4, 190s.

wing in the instance shown is constructs of an open frame covered with a woven wire lattice so that when the parts are in the position indicated in Fig. 3 it shall present as little surface as practicable to the passingair when the train is in rapid motion. But it -is not, I think. absolutely necessary thati the flanking wings be made as open-work, because if theJ parts be made suficiently strong said sides or wings can be made of smooth solid sheet niet-al or wood. The side or wing has fixed to it a shaft, as indicated at 13, attached by suitable eyebearings, as at 14l and 14", to the wall of the car above the platform and adjacent the sides of the door-way, and the shaft has fixed to it at its lower end a miter gear, as at 15, that meshes with the adjacent gear on the end of the shaft 8. The wings or sides are thrown inward and outward by the lowering 4and raising respectively of the platform, and when the platform is in its down-most position the ings or sides lie substantially parallel to the side of the car.

-This last described position is the normal running position and offers the least resistance to the movement of ,the car through the air. Y

The platform has aflixed to its under lde hooks 7 a and 7b the barbs of which point toward the car, and the wings have hinged hooks 11a and 11b respectivl f the barbs of which, when the wings stand. perpendicular to the side of the car, point outward, and when the sides or wings are closed toward the side edges of the platform the. barbs of the hinged hooks automatically project under the Shanks of the hooks of the platform and support the platform and the load of mail sacks placed thereon, while the barbs of the platform hooks engage the hooks of the wings and prevent the .nings from separating from the platform until tle hooks of the wings are ositively operated for this purpose. Eac hook'of a wing has a long lever arm like that seen at 11c to the inner end of which is attached a suitable operating .rod (sectional if desired) as -seen at 16 extendin upward to a lever 17 pivoted to a small bracket 18 secured to the top of the doorway. The inner or adjacent ends of he levers at the to `of the doorway are connected by a suitab e chain 19 having branches to the handle of the mail catching device, which I will now proceed t-o describe.

The catching device as I now propose it isY t therefore adapted to catch mail when the train Ais moving in either direction'. In my proposed construction the'usu'al ha: 20 subtending or standing across the doorway is employed to receive the base or slidefor supporting the usual form of mail catching hook 21. But the base or slide in the" presentinstance is formed of two parts '22 and 22 matching to form a passage 23 that aston the bar 20, and beyond this a rentran: eavity 24 of circular form for the reception 'of a cir-ouf lar button at the base of the catching hook 2 1',-

The buttonhas its edge made with ivco dia-A inetrically'opposite holes, as at 25. inte one of which is projected a springdield pin 26.' The spring-held pin has afinger-piere 26a by which it may be manipt lated to removcthe pin to permit the turning of the button to the diametrically-opposite position so that the mail catching hook can be pointed in the opposite direction. The parts 22 sind 22=l have, at their sides op. osite those containing the mail catching hoo projections` as at 27 rounded vat their outer sides, and against these projections are clamped the correspondingly rounded inner sides of tangs -on the handle 28. The/ handle is pivotally secured tothe said projections by means of a spring bolt 29, the spring 29a of which tends to hold the concave sides of the Ytanga` vieldingly against the convex sides of the prroectioi'is, so that the handle can be flexed and yield when the catcher is subjected to the violent blow incidentl to catching a. mail sack. Shock and injury to thezoperator holding the handle during the mail-catching operation .are thus avoided. i

After mail has been discharged from the platform and the parts have assumed or are in' the position indicated in Fig. L the platform and its wings are moved to porsiiion for the reception of fresh sacks by means of a lever 30 pivoted at 30a near the threshold of the doorway, said lever having a long opera-ting arm standing upward and a short arm standing outward and provided ai its end `with an arc extension 30b extending r trough a hole 7 c in the latform, said arm having a charge the mail.

stop 30 to cate i the platform and raise itwhen the long arm of the lever is pulled inward. lVhen the platform is raised the sides or wings of the mail delivering device are, of course, thrown outward and the he` K on the sides automatically engage the hm.- on the platform and the delivering device thus held in position to receive and retain the sacks ready for discharge as soon as operated by the mail catching device. After the platforni vhas been raised the lever 30 is returned to the position shown m Fig. 3, in which posi-A tion it remains by gravity and leaving the platform free to move on the are extension 30yb when the platform is releases-l to dis- The bar 20 is shown to be -constructed so as to be readily reversible and 1 .provided with rubber cushions 2Oa to take` the impact ofthe catcher when catching a sack.

In practice, when mail'is to be taken and discharged, the mail catching hook is preparatorily raised by depressing the handle to or nearly to the proper position Ito catch the sack but not so as to operate the delivering device until the train is at the proper point. to.

discharge the mail, when, by a further depression of the handle, the devices latchingl the platform are released 'and the mail discharged.` 1 vTo prevent sacks from rolling onto the track and under the train,l a low fence,. as seen at 33, can be provided. Parallel tracks can be guarded in the same way.

lYith this construction of delivering device several sacks and several,hundred-weight of mail can be'instantly and safely discharged.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited in its embodiment to the specific forms of the parts shown, as these are susceptible of change without departing from the gist of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Iii a mail delivering device, the combination with the doorway of a car, a hinged platform lto receive the mail to be -delivered,'

iinged sides to Vflank said platform, and means whereby the same may be simultaneously opened and closed.

2. In a mail delivering device, the combination with the doorway of a car, a' hinged platform to receive the mail to be delivered,

,cooperating hinged sidesto flank said platform, means for latching said platform, and

means within the .car for raising said latform, said means adapted to permit the owering of the platform.

3. In a mail delivering device, the combination with the doorway of a car, a hinged )latform to receive the mail to be delivered, hinged sides to flank said platform, and gearing between the platform and flanking sides whereby the operation of the platform effects the o )eration of the flanking sides.

4. n a mail delivering device, the combination with the doorway of a car, a hinged platform to receive the mail to be delivered, iinged sides to flank said ilatform, and means for automatically latcl'iing the platform and .flanking sides together when the device is brought to mail receiving position.

5. In a mail delivering device, the combination with the doorway of a car, a hinged platform to receive the mail, hinged sides to tlank said platform, means for automatically latching the platform and flanking sides together when the device is brought to mailreceiving position, and manually-operative means for releasing said latching means.

6. In a mail catching and delivering dei er'r, a hinged latform to receive ythe Inail to car, a hinged platform to receive the mail to i he delivered, inged sides to flank said latbe delivered, sides to iiank said platform, crm, and means for automatically latc 'ng means for holding the delivering device in 40 the platform and flanking sides together, a mail-receiving position, a mail catching demail catching device andmeans between the vice, and means between said catching del catching device and the delivering device, vice and delivering device, whereby the dc- `whereby the deliverin device can be released livering device can be released by operating by operating the catc ing device. the catching device. 4 5

Ti. In a. mail catching device, the combi- 11. In a mail catching and delivering dei@ mation with the doorway of a car, a bar subvice, the combination with the doorway of a tending the same, a slide on said bar, a sack'- car, a hinged platform to receive the mail to catching device on said slide. a handle for be delivered, sides to flank said platform,

' the handle with the slide comprising a conform and iianking sides together, a mail 1. .save member on one part and a convex memcatching device, and means between the ber on the other and means for exerting a catching device andthe delivering device for yielding pressure between said concave and releasing the delivering device comprising convex members. arms to actuatc members of the latchlng de- 55 8. In a. mail catching and delivering de vices, levers on the car, and rods connecting 23 vice, the combination with the doorway of a said levers and said arms, and a iiexible decar, a hinged latform to receive the mail to vice between said levers and the mail catchf be delivered, nged sides to flank said plating device. form, means whereby the same may be 12. In a mail catching device, the combi- 60 L g simultaneously opened and closed, and nation with the doorway of a car, a bar subzf: spring to throw said platform and sides to 4tending the same, a slide on said bar, a sack 4(apen osition. ldatchin device on said slide, a handle for 9. n a mail catching and delivering de- [said sli e, means for flexibly connecting the vice, the combination with the doorway of a handle with the slide comprising concave 65 ca-r, `a hinged latform to receive the mail to members on the handle and a convex mem-i be delivered, iiinged sides to flank said platberoi-nthe slide, and means whereb a yieldi form,` means whereby the sameV may be ing lressure is exerted between sai concave simultaneously opened and closed, and a and onvex members. i ring to act directly on the platform to AVILL D CUMMINGS s,y l" throw it and the Banking sides to open posi- 55 tion. Witness\e s\ 10. In a mail catching and delivering de- BnN'qanrN FINOKEL, vice, the` combination with the doorway of a ALrcE'-fl3\\(\]oox.

said slide, and means for flexibly` connecting means for automatically latching the plat- 50 

